STRATVIEW RESEARCH BLOG

STRATVIEW RESEARCH BLOG

First 3D Printed Yacht with Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastics

First 3D Printed Yacht with Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastics

Livrea Yacht is an ambitious project of two Italian boat builders, Francesco Belvisi and Daniele Cevola, the winner of Italy’s National Innovation Award 2017. Since 2014 they have been working on designing and building the first 3D printed yacht, the Mini 650, for Minitransat, a famous sailing competition across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to South America, next scheduled for 2019.

In parallel to the yacht project, the two entrepreneurs have driven the development of a dedicated direct extrusion 3D printing technology with their company OCORE, which is providing the required quality of parts. Besides an improving the printing hardware - robot, extruder and nozzle – they have patented a new material deposition strategy using an algorithm inspired by fractals.

LEHVOSS Group, with its parent company Lehmann&Voss&Co. in Hamburg, Germany, supported the process development and additionally engineered and delivered customized 3D printing materials dedicated to this technology and application. These materials, with the tradename LUVOCOM 3F, are based on thermoplastic polymers, such as high-performance polyamides and PEEK. To achieve the required mechanical properties, these polymers are reinforced with carbon fibers.

“We are happy to be a partner in this challenging and very exciting project and strongly believe in 3D printing as a way of enabling the production of higher performing and competitive parts. The Livrea Yacht will show what dedicated processing and 3D printing polymers today can already achieve“, said Thiago Medeiros Araujo, Market Development LUVOCOM 3F of LEHVOSS.

According to Stratview Research’s new report, the global 3D printed composites market is projected to reach US$ 111.1 million in 2022. In the composites industry, 3D printing technology is relatively new and unheralded, but it has now got successful in gaining ground driven by an advancement in the 3D printing technologies, low part cycle time, efficient process, compatibility with all possible material combinations, lower material wastage, and organic growth of composite materials in the different industries, according to the market report.

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News Source: LEHVOSS Group

Image Source: LEHVOSS Group